In a fiercely contested election to choose the nation’s next president, opposition former president John Mahama will square off against Ghana’s vice president and former central banker Mahamudu Bawumia on Saturday.
Following the West African gold producer’s debt default, soaring inflation, and discussions for a $3 billion IMF bailout, Ghana’s faltering economy became the primary election topic.
In addition to electing the nation’s new parliament, voters will select a successor to President Nana Akufo-Addo, who resigns after serving two legally permitted terms.
The presidential election results are anticipated on Tuesday, and voting will begin at 0700 GMT and end at 1700 GMT on Saturday.
With a history of political stability, Ghana’s two main parties, current ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC), have alternated in power almost equally since 1992.
Touting a slogan “Break the 8” — a reference to the usual two, four-year terms in power — the NPP hopes Bawumia can lead them to an unprecedented third term in office.
“I know what I want to do from day one in the presidency. Give me the chance to transform this nation,” Bawumia told thousands of supporters at a closing rally in Accra this week.
As the head of Akufo-Addo’s economic management team, he has struggled to disassociate himself from criticism of the government’s economic management.
An economist with a degree from the UK, he highlights the economy’s recovery and the government’s ongoing ambitions for digitalisation and free health and education initiatives.
